The Great Veggie Heist
The Great Veggie Heist is the 3rd part of Return to the Negaverse, taking place during The Great Candied Adventure in the Big Mom Saga. It takes place between Down in the Negaverse and Seven Lights: The Side Stories on the Negaverse side. "The Great Veggie Heist" was published on August 19, 2019. It is preceded by "JP and SA" and followed by The Thirteen Darknesses...less. Summary Let us meet our villains, the Little Dad Mafia, led by the notorious Enopac Egeb (originally Capone Bege from One Piece). Enopac is a rather short, pudgy man with a cigar in mouth, black suit, and who speaks like the Godfather. The story opens when Egeb barges into Raseac Atnalamid’s greenhouse. They exchange rather sour greetings as Egeb demands, in a calm demeanor, to tell him how to find the Great Brocco Tree. Raseac claims the Brocco Tree will banish all who try to enter it, unless one carries the Five Healthy Wonders. Egeb asks where one could find said Wonders, but rather than answer, Raseac decides to do away with him: using plantbending, several giant flowers lock onto Egeb and unload deadly Bullet Seeds. Egeb stands still, and hundreds of bullets fly directly at him, yet not a single wound appears on his body. When Raseac decides to cease the attack, confused, Egeb then retaliates: bullets and cannonballs erupt from his body, utterly decimating the greenhouse, and Raseac is overpowered by the sudden gunfire. “I got this new power from a ‘friend’ in the other world. …Looked a lot like you, he did.” Egeb says. “Boys, whaddya say we treat him to some coffee?” Before Raseac’s eyes, two men suddenly appeared: Slim Jim, who had a very thin, long, and flexible body (Negative of Fat Jack), and Euro Eoj, who resembled a hippy chewing on a cattail. Eoj seemed to conjure a Peace symbol that drained Raseac’s stamina, making him easy prey for Jim’s swift martial arts. When Raseac awoke, he found himself tied to a table with chi-blocks inside a castle-like room. There was a nasty gang of tiny, Lilliputian kids standing on him, holding needles. “Surprised to see ’em? We learned about your little farm of delinquents. Thought they would wanna join us.” Egeb said. In their spare time, Raseac and some of his Black Lotus agents would travel around in search for extremely ill-behaved children who wrought havoc in their neighborhoods. They would subdue these children and force-feed them mushrooms that would shrink them to Lilliputian size, and they would remain in Raseac’s secret “farm” until they learned to behave. Of course, Raseac had their parents’ written permission. “We gave ’em some special turnips that enhanced their speed and muscles.” Egeb smirked. “Maybe someday, they’ll be ripe for the world again. Now, spill the beans or we’ll spill yours.” “You don’t know the power you’re messing with. I’ll sooner die before I tell you where to find the Wonders.” Raseac hissed. “I thought ya might. Then lemme make ya an offer you can’t refuse: instead-a spillin’ your beans… I’ll spill hers.” He cocked his gun and aimed it at Ydnew Llevram, whom was tied to another table. Raseac was shocked to see Itaav’s daughter captured, but because he couldn’t afford to risk her life, he decided to tell him where to find the Wonders. Sometime later, the officers of the Little Dad Mafia have secured the Five Healthy Wonders, but have yet to determine the location of the Brocco Tree. Until then, the officers are safekeeping the Wonders in their own resting grounds. Little did they know that someone was already onto them. In Dnalevelc, Ainigriv, Lorac Nosretsam had been receiving letters from her worldwide pen-pals, all of whom are part of a group of thieves and fans alike called ThiefNet. These letters described the actions of the Little Dad Mafia, much to Lorac’s concern—of course, Nosey Nosam just had to stick his nose in her letters. But since he was there, he figured they could ask Yrrah if he knew anything about these ‘Healthy Wonders.’ The 4x4 expert did research and learned the Healthy Wonders were legendary vegetables that supposedly came from the Great Brocco Tree, a sacred tree that could drastically increase the growth of plants around the planet. Lorac knows that the Little Dads have an obsession with vegetables, so she assumed they wanted to harness the Brocco Tree’s power to make their food even healthier and themselves stronger. With how dangerous and infamous the Little Dads were, Lorac knew she needed to steal the Healthy Wonders before they could succeed. Nosam asks if they could help, saying that if the Little Dads are really that dangerous, it should be the DNK’s job to stop them. Lorac appreciates the offer, but wants to decline, due to how they just got finished with Aluben and deserve a break, though Yrrah questions if Lorac even has the resources or a way to get to all the Little Dad bases. Lorac gives in, and with that, they gather the other Sector -V operatives as she describes the situation. Arorua believes they should undertake the mission as a way to show the world the new DNK! However, Lorac says that if they do this, they need to do it right: Master Thief Style. She would be acting as their temporary leader for this Great Veggie Heist. “WE GET TO BE PIRATES, BABY!” Eitra cheered. “We’re thieves, Eitra!” Yrrah corrected. “Those are basically land pirates, let’s do it!” Eirik shouted. Yrrah sets to work in building a vessel to serve as their base of operations: the Bandit Van. It looked rather small for 10 people, but Yrrah called Nollid over to work some magic: the inside of the van was like a miniature treehouse, with a kitchen, a tech room for Yrrah, a bedroom where they all would sleep, bathroom, etc.. Unfortunately, Nollid declined the offer to come with them as Ydolem still needs his help. But with that, the 10 kids set off on their grand road-trip adventure! :thumb99181841: GAMEPLEIGH :thumb99181841: While Candied Adventure used a mix of Donkey Kong/Rayman-style gameplay, the Veggie Heist is based around Sly Cooper’s elements. Each world takes place in a town under the control of the Little Dad Mafia. Lorac will sneak her way through towns and use nimble platforming to get to objective points, and she will carry certain teammates in the Infi-Cube if she needs their abilities for certain sections or missions. Just as well, Lorac’s abilities resemble Sly Cooper. Light on her feet, she can channel chi to her soles to keep herself balanced on very thin ropes or spiked points. She can sneak up on and attack enemies with swift, chi-block punches, followed by a quick and quiet knock-out. In each world, there are 20 dancing jars to search for, containing parts of a code that can be used to open a safe in that world and acquire a new skill. World 1 – The Burrow The Veggie Thieves drive to a farmland where rabbits frolic. They discover a road sloping into a tunnel, leading to an underground town with carrot buildings. This is where the Little Dads have hidden the Bleach Carrot, which can only attain its purest form away from sunlight. The officer guarding this carrot is the Mimebrother (Negative of the Clownfather), a rather jovial mime. After lots of stealthing, teamwork, and strategizing, they manage to find the room where the Bleach Carrot is held. As expected, Mimebrother is there to thwart them. The Mimebrother pulls out some blowhorns and attacks them with an extremely deafening sound blast. Eirik accuses him of being a soundbender, to which the Mime contradicts her: “Nono, my dear: Little Dad blessed me with a magical fruit he called the Sound-Sound Fruit! There is so much power to be had in sound. When you are too far away from a bomb, hearing only the smallest boom, the effect is so small. But when you hear the BOOM right next to you, you find yourself charred! When I lower or increase the sound an object makes, its physical affect will change, too! As for me, I was born with a weak throat and a soft voice that could never speak up for myself. Now, I feel as if I can do anything!! And I will repay Little Dad by protecting this carrot!” “Bleh, sound or no sound, you’re just a dweeb! Stay back, fellas, this guy’s askin’ for a whoopin’!” Eirik grins wickedly. The girl’s soundbending was a natural match for the mime’s power. He could create Mute Bubbles around himself to block out Eirik’s soundwaves, requiring her to bend them open in order to land attacks. Mimebrother threw bombs whose explosions had greater radius with amped sound, but when Eirik lowered their sound, they had the opposite result. This battle was quick thinking on Eirik’s part and a true test of her soundbending, but she won the battle for her team! She high-fived Akurah and twisted her knuckle into Yrrah’s skull. The Bleach Carrot was stashed in the Infi-Cube and the DNK were called to arrest the Mimebrother. Before setting off for their next heist, Lorac asked them to return to Ainigriv, where they drove along a cliffside over the ocean until they came upon a dead end. Lorac revealed a round door camouflaged with the wall, and by placing her feet and hands into openings, a magic seal seemed to read her DNA and open the door. Her friends were in awe as they entered a temple-like cavern with murals on the wall. Lorac reveals that the Nosretsam are a proud tribe of thieves who have been stealing from villains for centuries. When Sirhc calls attention to an image of her ancestors fighting a giant, monstrous owl, Lorac explains, “His name is Clockwerk. According to my mom’s stories, he’s a monstrous owl that caused destruction and poverty around the world, robbing people of their treasures and anything precious to them. He was one of the earliest villains my family stole from, or fought with. And he was so vicious that my ancestors had no choice but to kill him, though he took several of them with him.” “’Guess that means we’re here to relive the tale.” Aliehs sighed. “Nosam and Sirhc are probably gonna die and we’ll have to make a picture of Little Dad.” “WHY JUST US?!” Sirhc exclaimed. “Relax, guys! I’m not gonna let any of you die!” Lorac beamed. “You did a great job on that first heist, so we’ll have no trouble swiping the other Wonders. First, I need to put this somewhere safe.” She takes the Bleach Carrot and makes her way through an obstacle course that utilizes her abilities, as it was specifically designed for a true Nosretsam to cross. Once she was finished, she returned, and they exited, resealed the hideout, and drove off. Meanwhile, Egeb called a meeting with his other officers. Along with Slim Jim and Euro Eoj, there was Atteirneh, a Namreg woman in a black labcoat and ponytail. Although she possessed a rather calm and serious demeanor, she was always suckling on a large lollipop. “Folks, it seems we’ve encountered a problem. Mimebrother’s been arrested by those DNK tykes. I shoulda known they would be a problem; they’ve been a bit more active since the new year began. We’d best send extra security to the others. If this happens any more, the Boss ain’t gonna be very happy.” World 2 – Zucchini Beach The V-Thieves drive to a beach town in Adirolf called Zucchini Beach, full of palm trees that resembled zucchini. Its most famous landmark was the Zucchini Flower, an island a few miles off coast that was actually a massive flower growing from the seafloor. The heart of this flower was the Healthy Wonder that they needed. Their stealthing would involve swimming, nothing Lorac wasn’t used to. The mafia bosses of this town were brothers, Icsep and Ottuicsorp (Pesci and Prosciutto from JoJo). Icsep displayed a somewhat worried and cowardly personality, while Ottu’s harsh, but soothing demeanor would keep him in focus. Icsep can conjure a fishing lure, having eaten the Fisher-Fisher Fruit, and the line can phase through solid objects. He uses this to make wire traps around the roof, and Lorac unfortunately steps on one when roof-jumping. The fishing rod catches and drags her across town until she is in the brothers’ captivity. Ottu uses his poisonbending to torture Lorac for information, his gas causing her skin to dry up and mummify. Despite the pain, she keeps silent, holding faith that her friends would rescue her. Indeed, the V-Thieves collect info on where Lorac is being held, learn her torturer’s ability, and watch out for any more wire traps. To Lorac’s joy, Akurah arrives, her poisonbending a perfect match against Ottu. Akurah finds herself mummifying under his gas, while her poison causes itchy hives to swell up on Ottu’s body. Akurah becomes the victor, KOing the villain and bending the poison out of herself and Lorac, and they shortly treat their selves to water. The operation continues as the V-Thieves make it to the heart of the Zucchini Flower. Without his brother, Icsep has assumed a more cruel and serious demeanor, and he’s ready to shred them up with his fisher. Eitra volunteers to fight him, summoning his hamsters to form armor around him. Eitra charges forth as the fishing hook is unable to latch his body, only catching the hamsters, and he lands several attacks on Icsep. The man then uses his fishing rod to capture innocent people from the town and chuck them at Eitra for stronger attacks. “Since you use those rodents to your benefit, what’s to stop me from making fodder out of these people?” Eitra was more determined than ever to beat him, and with a few more rounds of attacks, Icsep was defeated. The V-Thieves found a green, beating heart and carefully removed it. Icsep and Ottu were arrested by the DNK and the heart was stored in Lorac’s hideout. They were becoming curious about these “magic fruits” Icsep and Mimebrother claimed to have eaten, but Yrrah can’t find any data about them online. World 3 – Pumpkin Hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukp1N4hI2Xg A crossover level from Sonic Adventure 2, Pumpkin Hill was a range of giant jack-o-lantern mountains which glowed at night. The mafia boss was “Royam” (Negative of Halloween Town’s Mayor), a rogue Dream Spirit whose facial features stretch around his entire head. When he speaks, his words travel from one end of the mouth to the other, his lips opening in like fashion. “HmMmMm, HaVe ThOsE hOoDlUmS iNvAdEd My DoMaIn? OoOoOoHhHh DeEeAaAr…” Yeah, this guy could get annoying to listen to. A train with a pumpkin face traveled between different peaks, so Lorac would have to ride it on the missions. Their objective was to steal the Pumpkin Sprout, a small, hand-size pumpkin that was born from the seed of the Great Pumpkin. The Pumpkin Sprout had a very happy face, and eating it could keep you joyful for a year! “I know someone who could use that.” Eirik remarked, looking at Aliehs. When the group confronts Royam, he reveals the power of his Hollow-Hollow Fruit, wherein he can summon sad ghosts that fly through the group and drain them of their positivity. They are drained to a point where their color fades and they become as gloomy as Aliehs. When Aliehs looks upon her miserable friends, she asks, “Is that what I look like most of the time? Man… these guys annoy me most of the time, but now they’re just plain boring. Sigh, I guess it’s up to me to fix them.” With her natural immunity to gloom, Aliehs combats Royam with darknessbending, launching Darkballs from her feet with kicks. Royam’s ghosts could only stun her a little bit, so he decided to do the opposite and have the ghosts fill Aliehs with the stolen emotion from her friends. Aliehs began to experience mood swings, from Sirhc’s cowardliness to Nosam’s high praise, and this causes her Dark Chi to become unfocused and scattered when released. However, Aliehs finds herself quickly adapting to Eirik and Akurah’s crazy personalities, her Mobian instincts kicking in as she runs around, swiftly dodges Royam’s attacks, and deals a brutal beatdown that eventually knocks him out. The others recover their emotions as Lorac goes to pick up the Pumpkin Sprout. She already feels happy from holding the cute little veggie, passing it around to the others to liven their spirits a bit. Aliehs is the last to hold it, staring at its smiley face with her dull expression. …After a moment, her mouth cracks a smile, but just briefly. At Little Dad’s base, Egeb goes into a dark room and turns on a monitor. A pair of narrowed eyes on the shadowed body of an owl appears on screen. “Mister Egeb… how could you let those DNK urchins humiliate you this much? Three of the Healthy Wonders have already been lost!” “We tightened up security as much as we could, but these brats are using stealth. There are almost no alerts, and the best we got is a picture of this twerp.” Egeb held up a photo of Lorac from when she was captured. “Some brat from the slums.” The shadow craned its head in an owl-like manner. “You are quite mistaken, Egeb. Without doubt… yes, I can tell, just from looking at her, she belongs to the Nosretsam. It’s no wonder the Wonders have been vanishing from right under your noses!” “It can’t be just this one brat pullin’ the strings. We know she’s with the DNK.” “Then it’s quite simple, Egeb: find out where she originates, and I will deal with her myself.” Partway to their next destination, the V-Thieves park the van and rest for the night. Lorac wakes up and goes to get a drink, when she notices Arorua outside swinging a sword. Lorac goes out to greet her, and Arorua gasps in shock. “Are you training or something?” Lorac asks. “Uh, yeah… I felt like I owed it to Nerehc to learn how to use a sword… but it felt kind of embarrassing, so I never told anyone.” “Alright, I’ll keep it a secret~” Lorac smiles with eyes closed. The two decide to lie on the roof and look at the stars, delighted by how clear the sky was now. “So, Lorac, if you have that secret cave, how come you say you don’t have a home?” “I like to sleep outside most of the time. Besides, traveling to that place takes a while, and I don’t even use it much, anyway.” “Heh heh. I was just thinking, you would be a pretty good leader. I mean… you actually are, right now. Are you sure you don’t wanna join for real?” “Why, and replace you?” “Well, I was kind of a traitor who didn’t even care about my job. Plus, I’m not even that strong. I’m only now trying to learn swordplay, and I don’t really have any other talents. Not like you.” “It would be pretty fun to work with you guys more… but if we’re talking outside of ‘stealth and steal’ missions, I don’t feel like I could lead you.” “Come on, Lorac. I mean, if we’re being honest, the others aren’t exactly fit for the job. At least you know how to stay focused, and are… not crazy.” Lorac giggled. “Alright, I’ll at least think about it. But give yourself some time, Ror, there’s plenty of time to change.” World 4 – Asparagus Grove The V-Thieves arrive at a Chinese-style village in a forest made of towering stalks of asparagus (resembling bamboo). The mafia boss is Brusselscalp (Negative of Stickybeard), a thin man with a broccoli hairdo who talks like a cowboy. Atteirneh was also sent to aid him in case the thieves showed up again. With her Observation Haki, she would explore the village and search for suspicious people that were hiding, but fortunately, Lorac learned to conceal her chi to hide from such people. The new threat didn’t hinder the mission too much, but during a mission that required Yrrah, he and Lorac ended up in an indoor garden where Atteirneh ambushed them. Atteir recognized Yrrah as Ybba’s son, taunting that he looks just as stupid as his mother. Atteir fights with plantbending, whilst Yrrah puts his marksmanship to use. Of course, Lorac lent her aid as well, crawling under the plants and concealing her chi to sneak up and land chi-block hits on her. Atteir refused to be captured, so she decided to retreat. They were able to infiltrate Brusselscalp’s base and find their objective: the Asparasword, a sacred blade that could slay any sugary demon. Brusselscalp drops in and takes the sword and takes a mighty swing at the group, but Arorua defends her team with her own blade. “Time to see if my practice paid off.” Arorua proclaims. The team gives them space as swords clash, and they are surprised at Arorua’s prowess with the blade. “Dah, ta hoots with this stupid sword! I’mma just do it the old-fashion way!” Brusselscalp says as he whips out a gun and starts shooting at Arorua, who hastened to dodge the shots. “Leave my sister alone!” Sirhc yells as he slaps a button on a metal thing on his chest and curls into metal armor, rolling into Brusselscalp like an armadillo. This was armor that Yrrah had been building for him and he had been waiting for a good chance to surprise his team. “If Arorua’s the sword, I’m the shield!” was his decision. Arorua would use Sirhc as cover from the bullets as she made her way to Brusselscalp for more attacks, winning the battle with brother/sister teamwork! The cowboy is arrested and the thieves drive off with the sword—only to be pursued by Atteirneh in a truck. Yrrah unveiled the van’s roof turret and tried to shoot her down, but she caught up nonetheless. However, they were able to hold her off long enough for another truck to ram into and stop her. “Uh-oh. Should we see if they’re okay?” Lorac asked. “What’s important is we’re okay, keep going!” Akurah stated. The driver of the other truck revealed to be Little Aunt, a.k.a. Ettolrahc Nilnil of the Black Lotus. “I was on my way here to do something about these brutish gangsters when I saw you chasing those kids. Forgive my rude greeting, but it’s not every day I get to see my daughter.” “Well, how nice to see you, too.” Atteir replied coldly. “I don’t suppose you’re here to return my son to me?” “I wasn’t going to let Sutsugua suffer our fate. I wouldn’t let his mind be corrupted like yours. I wouldn’t let him serve that monster. You should know better than anyone why he can’t find the Brocco Tree.” “What choice do we have? It’s either his desires, or our lives!” World 5 – Eggplant Land It was quite astounding how someone could theme an amusement park around eggplants. Eggplant animal balloons, eggplant swing ships, Eggplant Wizards, it was all a fun time! The missions this time around would utilize the different rides and attractions. And the main attraction was the Egg Plant: it was a large plant with three layers; seven flowers around the bottom, four in the middle, with one on top, and each flower held a colored egg. Those eggs would grow and eventually hatch a certain vegetable. What was odd about this park was, instead of mafia goons, tiny children were patrolling, armed with little swords or guns. “Well, a ‘Little Dad’ would have little kids.” Arorua figured. “Even if they spot us, what’re they gonna do? Make us itch?” Eitra asked. “I wouldn’t take a chance.” Yrrah replied. “Lorac, just hide from them like normal. Of course, seeing them will be a bit harder this time.” Lorac’s first mission was to investigate the Egg Plant’s resting place, only to discover that… it was kind of out in the open with no guards. Suspicious, Lorac decided to approach and take it. “Don’t take another step, fatty!” a boy’s voice shouted. Lorac gasped and looked both ways before glancing down and spotting a tiny blonde Spanish boy in a football jersey. “Oh… hello there.” Lorac greeted, unable to see what threat this boy posed. “What’s your name?” “Name’s Dnis, the boss of this park. Little Dad says you ain’t allowed to have this Egg Plant.” “Well, I certainly don’t wanna be tripped. So, I’ll just reach forward and-” Her arm stretched for the Egg Plant—a bullet shot from Dnis’s hand and burned through her wrist. “YOW!” “I warned ya!” Dnis sneered, using firebending to shoot rapid bullet-speed flames around Lorac’s body. Her clothes were about to catch fire, so she dropped and rolled before snatching the boy in her hand. Dnis bit her hand and escaped, zipping around to grab her foot. He used super strength to slam her around the floor before chucking her off. “Fellas, lock it up!” Dnis ordered as five other kids pushed the Egg Plant’s table into a vault, which sealed. They used six keys to lock it up before zipping away. “You ain’t ever getting that plant now! Try and catch us if you can.” Dnis taunted before escaping. The mission officially became Hide-and-Seek as the V-Thieves had to, not only determine their hiding places, but determine their abilities in the event of a scuffle. One of the kids was Narod, a waterbender who loved to stuff himself with chocolate, and such a bond with chocolate allowed him to bend it as well. When Nosam challenged him, Narod molded chocolate into a giant body with shape-shifting arms, but Nosam proved to be the better bender. Next was Ylla, a punkish girl with spiky hair and a guitar for musicbending. Eirik rocked it out with her to see who was the noisier bender, and after a fight no one ever wanted to hear again, the girls became good friends as Ylla surrendered. They decided to have Eelyah challenge Ubnok, who was an arts and crafty earthbender who could make statues in a heartbeat, thinking she may have been strong enough to wreck his works. Ubnok’s statues were heavily beating her at first, but after several good bonks to the head, Eelyah discovered her own earthbending and reduced the statues to rubble. Uzu was a rambunctious young boy who liked to give people purple nurples via his shadowbending, so Eitra was sent to beat some sense into him. Both boys didn’t hold back with their violence, and both were black-and-blue by the time it was over. Oyib was slightly bigger than the others, but his airbending was nevertheless strong, easily blowing Sirhc’s Armordillo away and striking the Onu with powerful blows. “I don’t care about the Egg Plant any more, but I will rescue my friends!” Sirhc admired his resolve and knew that he couldn’t fail his friends either. He mustered his willpower and fought against Oyib’s wind enough to defeat him. Lastly, Lorac decided to be the one to seize Dnis. “But I can do it easily.” Akurah mentioned. “He can’t use fire when the room’s full of gas.” “Uh, thanks, Akurah, but I feel like I’m relying on you guys too much for these battles. This guy made a joke out of me, but it won’t happen again.” Dnis was a swift fighter, but if her nimble feet could carry Lorac this far, then she relied on such skill to evade his attacks, chase him, and land a sturdy kick whenever she could. Before long, both fighters were gasping and out of stamina. The only difference is, since Lorac was the bigger person, she grasped Dnis firmly in her hand. “You’re in big trouble when you get home, young man!” “No, please! I don’t wanna go back to the Juvy Farm! Those assholes act like we ain’t human! They treat us like rodents all because we did a few bad things!” “We’ll let the DNK decide what to do with you. Until then, we have a heist to complete.” After finding Dnis’s key, Lorac could finally open the vault and take the Egg Plant. The DNK were summoned to take the captured tiny children, and they began to scour Eggplant Land to capture all the guards. The V-Thieves made their final drive to the Nosretsam Vault, where all the Healthy Wonders would remain safe until they could figure out what to do about the Little Dads altogether. A Clockwerk Origin Unfortunately, just as they returned to Dnalevelc, a pirate ship with tank wheels and a castle ambushed them. “Well, if it ain’t the little thieves who’ve been mucking up my business.” Egeb said from the top of the Nostra Castello. “Lorac Nosretsam, I presume? Your little misstep in Zucchini Beach led us right to your hometown.” “Guys, look at the neighborhood! It’s under attack!” Sirhc called attention to the burning town in the distance. Realizing this took priority, Yrrah stomped the gas and drove for town, but the Nostra Castello was on their tail. They used the roof turret to blast the cannons on the tank-fort, with Yrrah’s crafty driving dodging the ship’s treads. The quick-thinking battle was stressful, but the Castello was out of commission. The thieves continued onward to town before they could have a chance to recover. “’Guess this is the Boss’s problem now.” Egeb said. The V-Thieves were just a few blocks from reaching the treehouse!—until a purple beam struck like lightning and completely destroyed the Bandit Van, all its contents and passengers scattering on the street. The kids weakly recovered to an aggressive gust of wind and the thunderous flapping of wings. They were agape at the sight of a giant, robotic eagle owl, eyes brimming yellow. Its silver wings could cut cleanly through flesh and not get bloody. “From the moment I saw your picture, a most irritating tumor began to react in what I have for a brain, and I knew it was you. Fate has brought us together again, Nosretsam.” “I-It can’t be… Are you… Clockwerk?!” Lorac stuttered. “So, you remember me, what a smart young lady.” Clockwerk landed on the road, folding his wings as he paced around the group. “Your ancestors thought they destroyed me, but you would be surprised what a steady diet of greed and hatred will do for you. My underlings recovered my body and kept me in ice until they could develop the technology to remake my body anew. And my soul, barely clinging to life, grew ever more impatient until then.” “You won’t be clinging to life for LONG!” Eirik bellowed a powerful soundwave, and Nosam, Eelyah, Akurah, and Yrrah bombarded the machine with their weapons and powers. With a forceful flap, the kids were blown off their feet, and lightning struck from his eyes to injure them. They looked up at the treads of a tank, thinking it was the Castello, but was actually the base of Egeb’s body itself. “Clockwerk has supported my family for generations. He’s the most powerful criminal mastermind in the world.” “And once I absorb the delectable nutrients inside of the Brocco Tree, I will be unstoppable. After much strife, we now finally know the tree’s location. All that remains is for you to tell me where you hid the Wonders.” “Why do you want the Brocco Tree, anyway?!” “Why, to restore vegetation to this pitiful world, of course. My body and soul are filled with eons of lust and hatred. When I devour the heart of the Brocco Tree, its chi will mix with my hatred. I will soar across the world and infect all organic life with sweet, juicy despair. And that despair will satiate me for all time. The reason I stole from so many people was to instigate their greed, their desperate desire, but your despicable, pure-hearted ancestors had none of that at all! NOW, TELL ME!” Clockwerk stamped Lorac under his talon. “WHERE ARE THE WONDERS?!” “AAAAH!” Lorac was helpless under his weight, blood squirting out. “Ergh… f-fine. I’ll… take you to them. Just please… don’t hurt my friends.” “The well-being of the world is secondhand to those she holds dear.” Nosam wept. “You’re too pure, Lorac!!” “So be it. I’ll just carry you up and you can point me to where-” A blast of dark fire hit the back of Clockwerk’s head, the owl twisting his head to see Nerehc Onu, brimming with Demon King Fury. “Ohhhh… that hatred. Such… delicious… HATRED! Egeb, you go find the Wonders! My appetite’s acting up!” Clockwerk released Lorac and shot up to engage Nerehc in a great duel. “Let’s get you in the castle.” Egeb said as henchmen walked out to grab the weakened kids. They all shrank when they walked within range of Egeb, entering doorways on his shoes. Indeed, his body was a mobile castle, thanks to the Castle-Castle Fruit. Lorac was obedient in guiding the mafia to her hideout, being held captive in Egeb’s eyes so she could see the path. The others were thrown into a chi-blocked cell, but they would be rescued by Little Aunt, who apologizes for her husband’s actions. Little Aunt is confronted by Atteir, and a battle ensues as the kids begin to ravage the castle, thinking it should do damage to Egeb. Eelyah’s earthbending proves to be very dangerous for the structure. Arorua battles and defeats Slim Jim while Nosam scores a victory over Euro Eoj. Eventually, Egeb begins to feel a disturbance in his body and forms a “Rook Clone” inside himself. The thieves had done heavy damage to his castle and have even freed Ydnew and Raseac in the process. Egeb is surrounded as Little Aunt approaches her husband. “Egeb, we have to stop Clockwerk. If he infects the world with hatred, you understand it’ll affect you all too, right?” “Sweetheart, if we don’t do what he says, he’ll tear us limb from limb. There ain’t no puncturing that armor. They used the most quality metal available to fix him.” “What if I said there was a way to beat him?” Lorac asked. “What’re you sayin’, Cotton Hair?” “My ancestors wrote something on the wall in our hideout. They had nightmares that Clockwerk would return, and they developed a secret technique in case that day ever came. There’s an item I have to retrieve from my hideout, but once I have it, I’m sure I could perform that technique.” “So what, ya never did it before? How’m I supposed to take your word for that?” “My friends and I can take it from there, Clockwerk would have no idea! But I’m sure I can do it, and then you’ll never have to worry about him again! Trust me!” “Let’s give her a chance, Egeb.” Auntie said. “If she can beat him, and our family is rid of Clockwerk… I’ll take you to see our grandson.” Egeb is hesitant for a moment. “What do you think, Atte?” he asks his daughter. “…I hope this works.” Atteir replied. The V-Thieves are taken to the Nosretsam Vault, the Little Dads waiting outside. Their last mission takes them through a special obstacle/puzzle course, putting to use all their abilities. Lorac also must use another special technique: Laser Grinding. Just as her graceful feet could fly across rails, with a more careful concentration of chi, she could slide along lasers, too. They eventually reached the deepest depths of the cave and found the Nosretsam Cane, a rather ordinary-looking wooden, gold-colored cane. However, upon returning outside, Clockwerk had located them, as if acting on pure instinct. “Ahhh, I haven’t eaten that good in ages.” The owl said as he dropped Nerehc’s sapped body on the ground. “His Dark Chi was like a buffet… so delicious. Now, Lorac… I don’t see my Wonders anywhere, my what a troublesome child. We’ll just have to find them ourselves. Egeb, kill those urchins and start raiding the cavern.” Egeb pulls a gun and takes aim at the kids. “…FIRE!” He opens his arms, faces up at Clockwerk, and cannonfire is loosed upon the demon. Clockwerk snarls and flaps his wings, throwing them off balance with powerful wind. Talons sharpened, he decides to take the life of Egeb’s daughter first—Little Aunt pushes Atteir out of the way and takes the fatal blow. The family is wrought with despair as Clockwerk flaps up and tosses her away. “Aliehs, now!” Lorac yells as the Faunus raccoon shoots a Dark Beam straight up at Clockwerk. The owl merely catches the beam in his mouth, swallowing the darkness, but Lorac is using Laser Grinding to fly up to him. Clockwerk shoots a laser from his wing, but Lorac jumps to grind on it, then another laser, then the next one, and once she was in range of Clockwerk, she leaps! With a graceful, midair twirl of the cane, she focuses chi into the hook and reaches it to Clockwerk’s face. There is a glow as the cane seems to phase into him. Lorac lands in an open field with a distorted sky: Clockwerk’s subconscious. She meets his soul in his original form, a light-brown owl with piercing red eyes. “What sort of trickery have you pulled now?” “The Art of the Phantom Thief. This forbidden technique, known only to my family, allows me to steal the soul of my target. I will steal your soul and lock it away forever!” “You will never overcome my hatred!” The final battle ensues as Clockwerk attacks Lorac with pure Malice. Her Cane strikes like that of a sacred blade against the beastly owl. Lorac must make her way to the head and impale her cane as she did before to pull his soul out. She failed the first two attempts, but on the third attempt, Clockwerk struggled desperately to escape. “No! I am… forever. I am… hatred. I… will live. Nosretsam… you will never be rid of me. …NEVER.” Everyone gasps when the light suddenly vanishes, and Lorac and Clockwerk begin to fall. As expected, Nosam rushes in to serve as his hero’s cushion, but they are enveloped in the dust from Clockwerk’s impact. The team gathers to look over Lorac’s body, but she wakes up after a moment. They notice her staff is glowing, and Lorac confirms Clockwerk’s soul has been sealed inside it. His mechanical body is just a mass of metal now. Despite their unfortunate loss, the Little Dads are grateful to Lorac for ridding them of that monster. They decide to let her keep the Healthy Wonders, for now. Lorac returns the Cane to its resting place, and the team leaves the hideout. “Kind of a shame we never found the Brocco Tree.” Arorua said. “We can do it later, I’m tired.” Sirhc replied. “I can’t wait to sleep in my own room again.” Yrrah sighed. “I can’t believe Nerehc got his ass kicked! Some Demon King you are!” Eirik retorted. “Less talky, more carry-y to my roomy.” Nerehc ordered, still exhausted on Eelyah’s back. “So, are you gonna join our sector, Lorac?” Akurah asked. “Actually, I’m kind of thinking about starting my own sector.” “Ya are?” Eitra cocked a brow. “I had a lot of fun working with you guys, but I think master thieving is what I’m best at. You guys have other kinds of missions to worry about, but I think I would like to find and work with other junior thieves!” “You just don’t wanna be with Nosam.” Aliehs figured. “I will still support Lorac in my heart!” “Good, then keep it in there.” Akurah said. “Well, I think this calls for a celebration!” Arorua cheered. “Let’s go tear up a restaurant and make all the customers leave!” “YEEEEAAAH!” “Oh yeah, Nerehc, wasn’t there something coming up?” Sirhc asked. “Oh, an Apocalypse or something. I think the Positives will take care of it.” “Good, ’cause I’m adventured out for one month.” Yrrah sighed. Category:Big Mom Saga Category:Negaverse Stories